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One of the most populated counties in Montana, Yellowstone County is
located in the south central part of the state. It was organized in 1883 from
a part of Custer County & parts of it were taken to form Carbon, Sweet Grass,
Musselshell, Big Horn and Stillwater Counties. In 1919 and in 1925,
Yellowstone and Carbon Counties annexed parts of each other. For details on
the county boundary, creation and management of the Pioneers of Eastern
Montana, and other unique information see the numerous links in the files
below. |
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Just
released is a superb manuscript about early life in Eastern Montana from the settlers’
own words; and those of their friends. Entitled “MONTANA
MONOGRAPHS”, and published by Harley O’Donnell, grandson of I.D.
O’Donnell, There are 260 pages of exciting frontier life, recorded just as it
was stated in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. I.D. O’Donnell was one of the
Yellowstone Valley founding fathers and was nationally renowned for his
Hesper farming methods, and was active for several decades in various
reclamation methods. In addition to a
contents page of the many people who related their experiences, there is a
four-page index for ready reference to an event or person. This
manuscript can be obtained from Harley O’Donnell for only $34.95 plus mailing
costs. Contact him at HOdon21621@aol.com for delivery
information. |
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Looking for a Severson Family Connection in Montana? Bernice’s scholastic effects , letters & autograph book have been donated to the Huntley Project Museum (April 2008). |
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This archives of the MT GenWeb Project contains a remarkable collection of “on-line” record information regarding details about the history of Montana’s past. Additionally refer to the multi-blocked searches available within the Montana State Genealogical Society for a wide variety of topics. |
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Cemeteries |
There are several ways to check ancestral burials in Yellowstone County. Additionally, there are several active and inactive cemeteries within Yellowstone County. A description of these grave locations is available in the YGF Cemetery Site Index. Above, you'll see that there's a link to free limited lookups in the Yellowstone County Cemetery books published in 1985 by the Yellowstone Genealogy Forum. These books are also available for sale by the Yellowstone Genealogy Forum. Additionally, the “Graves-R-Us” cemetery site with latest information on Montana, Wyoming and related states cemetery files that are available to review is noted. Listings of Obituary postings from the Carbon County area, generated when the Yellowstone Genealogy Forum created a master file for the cemetery records in the 1980’s, is tabulated in a separate listing for reference to the newspaper or other sources. There are about 200 pages of listings for these source records. Most of the files can be obtained from the Carbon County Genealogy Society sources. Mountview Cemetery, the main Billings city cemetery, has provided their list of burials through the mid-1990s and we have placed them in the MTGenWeb Project Archives for your free use. The files are segregated alphabetically, and displayed in TEXT format. Information is updated annually, and is readily available at the Parmly Library, YGF GenRoom, or the Cemetery in ‘hard copy’. For pictures of the cemetery, and tombstone date transcriptions, refer to the Yellowstone Genealogy Forum site. Many of the other cemeteries within the area, extending about 100 miles around Yellowstone County have had their records transcribed, and most all of the tombstone inscriptions have been recorded. These are not in numerical order; but if interested, the Webmaster will do limited lookups in the master files. [As with all extracted information, please bear in mind that the original records are not always reliable, even if copied exactly, and need to be cross-checked against other prime records to assure accuracy.] For active and past burials in either Smith Terrace Gardens Memorial Estates or Sunset Memorial Gardens, (not listed in the books), the addresses are provided below. A courteous letter sent with a self-addressed stamped envelope should get good results from these cemetery offices.
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The Census Finder site maintains current links to all known & available FREE census lookups throughout the world. The site grows in size almost daily, and includes Native Americans. |
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Census Records |
1880 – Yellowstone County didn’t exist at this time, but was a small part of Custer County. The entire record collection of the state, extracted to date, is available at the Census Link for the state. The portion defining Yellowstone County is identified within the site. Mark Reed has created a free-search Montana Census Record website at http://www.census-online.com/links/MT/ . It is in the early stages of development, and records for a few of the counties are available. It has a colored map of the counties. His companion states census records are available at http://www.census-online.com/links/. The Little Big Horn College has posted many records for census and head of households (family units) for the years (1885, 1900, 1910, 1930) by clicking here. These records are linked by surname and household numbers. To search the records, first check the surname, then the associated household number(s), and then go back and search the first names of the persons you are researching. This will bring up most of the complete family units, along with ages and relations. |
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City Directories |
Most of the Polk City Directories 1905 through 1999 are currently stored off-site. Additional ones for numerous other cities in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota and South Dakota are also available for the more recent years. Contact montana_cal@auroraholdingsllc.com for information or lookups. |
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Courthouse Records |
The Yellowstone County Courthouse is now online. Visit their site for more information. Refer to either the "Clerk & Recorder" or the "Clerk of the District Court" sites. Research requests via Forum members are available. The costs for various services posted below are subject to change. It is best to check with the appropriate office before ordering. NOTE: No out of town checks accepted. For out of town requests, submit a money order, certified check or cash for the fees Yellowstone
County Clerk and Recorder. Records available: Births: intermittent from 1881; Deaths: from 1895; Leases: from 1895; Deeds: from 1881; Misc.: from 1881; Military discharges: from 1919; Physician's Records of Medical Certificates: from 1898; Index to Corporations & Bonds & Oaths: from 1883. 2003 Fees: Birth: $5.00; Death: $3.00; Uncertified copies (30-year law). Note: Birth records for adopted persons in the county are available, but authorization by the adoptee has to first be obtained from the State Courts in Helena via petition to a judge. Costs start at $350, and Intermediary Counsel is required. Yellowstone County
Clerk of the District Court Records available: Marriage: 1881; Divorce, Civil & Criminal courts: few files from 1884, indexes from 1905; Probate: from 1890. 2000 Fees: Marriage records: Certified - $2.50; Uncertified: $.50. Other documents: $.50 per page. Specific Comments from County Clerks: Provide S.A.S.E.; Write request sending money order, certified check or cash as specified above. Be as specific as possible in giving the date of event, list full name of person(s) and any other pertinent details that will help locate the record. |
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Death Records |
The complete on-line listing of all recorded deaths, those where an official report was filed, are available at the Montana State Genealogy’s Site. |
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Online Death Records from 1st Congregational Church-Billings MT (Partial Listings) |
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New - Early Residents of Yellowstone County - Indexed from "Yellowstone County and other articles from the Daily Herald 1883" |
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Funeral Homes |
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Germans From Russia Census |
Big Horn County, MT
1920, Germans from Russia ~ includes the towns of Hardin and the Crow Indian
Reservation |
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Libraries |
Parmly Billings Library, 510 North Broadway, Billings, Montana 59101. 406-657-8257 Parmly Library has, among other things: · The Billings Gazette, from early years onward, on microfilm. · The Herald, early copies of Coulson articles in scrapbooks & microfilm roll. · The Montana Room, featuring books, maps & media pertaining to Montana and its pioneers and area residents. An extensive Card File Index is provided. · Genealogy Room, maintained by the Yellowstone Genealogy Forum (GEN-ROOM) · Online Indexing and Book Reserve HOLD is available through the On-Line website. · Billings Gazette Vitals Index, currently covering 1882-1900 on-line (At web site enter “Genealogy” to access the listing), plus other years in separate volumes listing birth, death, marriage, divorce, school enrollment, voter registration, pardons, business licenses, delinquent tax notices, and other events that were mentioned in the newspaper. Montana State
University - Billings, 1500 North 30th Street, Billings, MT 59101,
406-657-2262 |
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Maps |
Under development. |
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This is a discussion list for individuals researching Yellowstone County. To subscribe, click above and write the word "subscribe" in the body of the message. |
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Newspapers |
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The Yellowstone-Clarks Fork Bottom and Pryor Mountain Big Horn area basin was one of the first places to gain a rich heritage in America, yet it is probably the last one to have a fully recorded past. To assist those, whose ancestors helped create this great county area, we will be posting "Out in the Boonies", a series of articles sponsored by Dave Dodge, land historian and relative to Squire Boone, Daniel Boone’s younger brother that delineate individual trails and roads created by these people, and how to locate them. Each will contain the historical record, resources to examine, and identification of the pioneers responsible for their creation. Included will be eight of the Bozeman Trails, the numerous Jim Bridger trails established by him between 1831-1867, the government wagon roads, Crow Reservation trails and roads, and many others. Directions to the forgotten cemeteries, markers and abandoned towns will de described. This “On-Going” project is expected to take several years to complete, and will include current pictures and photographs to assist in your local research of the past. We will gladly post any support, pictures or assistance you can provide in this endeavor. Virtually all of these trails are now on private land, and freely accessible to those desiring ancestral research. We will attempt to provide the access requirements whenever possible so that you might enjoy reaching into the past. When researching the original pioneers of Yellowstone County, it becomes immediately evident that each of these individuals shared a strong personal bond with their neighbors and friends that united them together, and no one person was ever left alone, but co-shared in virtually all endeavors as though they were one large united family. |
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Early Yellowstone County photos. |
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Is up and running, thanks to Patti Easton, Ann Kramlich and a number of contributors. This site will be growing steadily, so check back often!!! |
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This is the unique home for pioneer biographies, local area history and events in Eastern Montana. It has a special tabulated vital record listing that spans two websites for area research. |
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Queries |
This QUERY Board links to questions and answers related to the local areas in or near Yellowstone County. For all other queries please check the various sites established by RootsWeb at their site. |
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This is a list of professional researchers who will provide research for a fee in Montana. |
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Rootsweb's Surname, County and State Resource sites - a very useful tool. |
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During the formation of Yellowstone County in the 1880’s from Big Horn and Custer Counties there were many small towns, stage stops and post office drops that do not appear on the government link. A composite file of these names is found at the Yellowstone Genealogy Forum. |
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A new Veteran's Memorial is being built on the lawn of the Yellowstone County Courthouse to commemorate those from our county who have given their lives in the service of their country. The names of the individuals listed below are being placed on the monument, but if you know of others who were killed or died of wounds received during any war, please contact this site. The monument was dedicated on November 11, 1997, but there will be room for additional names, if found. |
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Vital Records from the Billings Gazette - Index of vital records from 1892 through 1900 are available online at the Billings Parmly Library Website. 1901 & 1902 will be published later in 2005. |
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The WorldGenWeb Project is a non-profit, volunteer based organization dedicated to providing genealogical and historical records and resources for worldwide access! |
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Many queries for information about Yellowstone County and its resources can be aided by using the on-line research available at our companion site, the Yellowstone Genealogy Forum. Links and a search engine are provided to help identify books, lists, and indexes for places, people, wills, land tracts, railroad interventions, and similar available research aids, including addresses for the Parmly Billings Library where Forum members have prepared biography indexes. Included are numerous short genealogical histories of the county and its founders. Links to sites and places where one can perform in-depth research on various local subjects are provided. Sources, books, and genealogical & historical details about Yellowstone County and related areas, including railroads, towns, cemetery details and much more. |
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Interesting route tales about service to Fort Custer, Etchetah, Rock Creek, Caspar, and White Sulphur Springs in 1879-1881. Fraud was rampant. |
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Miscellaneous |
The Yellowstone Genealogy Forum has original marriage licenses from some of the counties in Ohio, Iowa and Washington. The listing identifies Grooms and brides. These are available at no cost to the descendants. Review the listing. Note: These have been donated to the Wayne County Library , IN. |
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Return to MTGenWeb Site |
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Cleve Kimmel – County Coordinator
Last Updated Monday, February 14, 2005 (Changed site name
to INDEX, and connected to new site address for MT GenWeb) Copyright © 2008 YGF All rights reserved. |
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Early Residents 
~ includes the town of Roundup 
